8 votes

Fresh Album Fridays: Sufjan Stevens, Hannah Diamond, Drake(?) and more

Posted by TooFewColours
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, fresh album fridays, albums

Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest!

Discussion Points

What are you looking forward to listen to?
Have you listened to any of these releases?
What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past?

Why Friday?

Most (but not all) new LPs release on a Friday, as labels want to give the release a full week of sales before entering the charts.

~~ Feedback on the format welcome!

12 comments

  1. [3]
    TooFewColours
    Link
    Sufjan Stevens - Javelin Single Genre(s): Indie Folk Country: United States Bandcamp Spotify RYM

    Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

    Single
    Genre(s): Indie Folk
    Country: United States

    Bandcamp
    Spotify
    RYM

    9 votes
    1. tjf
      Link Parent
      From Sufjan’s latest post on his tumblr:

      From Sufjan’s latest post on his tumblr:

      JAVELIN is out today. Thank you for listening. I love you.

      This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April. He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime—precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way.

      I know relationships can be very difficult sometimes, but it’s always worth it to put in the hard work and care for the ones you love, especially the beautiful ones, who are few and far between. If you happen to find that kind of love, hold it close, hold it tight, savor it, tend to it, and give it everything you’ve got, especially in times of trouble. Be kind, be strong, be patient, be forgiving, be vigorous, be wise, and be yourself. Live every day as if it is your last, with fullness and grace, with reverence and love, with gratitude and joy. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

      Thank you. I love you. XOS

      7 votes
    2. DougM
      Link Parent
      Listening to this right now and what an album so far. If anyone knows how to set a mood it's Sufjan Stevens. Pitchfork with an 8.6 EDIT: Wow - Shit Talk is something else.

      Listening to this right now and what an album so far. If anyone knows how to set a mood it's Sufjan Stevens.

      Pitchfork with an 8.6

      EDIT: Wow - Shit Talk is something else.

      4 votes
  2. [2]
    TooFewColours
    (edited )
    Link
    Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture Single Genre(s): Electropop Country: United Kingdom Bandcamp Spotify RYM

    Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture

    Single
    Genre(s): Electropop
    Country: United Kingdom

    Bandcamp
    Spotify
    RYM

    4 votes
    1. TooFewColours
      Link Parent
      First time hearing Hannah Diamond - this had me floored! The best pop album I've heard since Nurture. Really smart production throughout, and not a dud song across the whole runtime. Very excited...

      First time hearing Hannah Diamond - this had me floored! The best pop album I've heard since Nurture. Really smart production throughout, and not a dud song across the whole runtime. Very excited to sink more into this one, highly recommended for any electropop/bubblegum fans.

      3 votes
  3. TooFewColours
    (edited )
    Link
    Definitely Sufjan's week this week, and pretty quiet otherwise - although I am looking forward to hearing Hannah Diamond's new LP. Drake has once again given a release date and not released...

    Definitely Sufjan's week this week, and pretty quiet otherwise - although I am looking forward to hearing Hannah Diamond's new LP.

    Drake has once again given a release date and not released anything, although this time he has given a time and a tracklist, so it seems more likely - unless he's pulling a straight Kanye. Given his recent track record it's unlikely to be a masterpiece, but I'll keep an eye out and post here if he decides to release anything.

    Edit: it dropped.

    3 votes
  4. mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Artist: Nicole Sabouné Album: Kismet Release: 6th October 2023 Genre: Art Rock Country: Sweden Links: Discogs | Spotify

    Artist:

    Nicole Sabouné

    Album:

    Kismet

    Release: 6th October 2023
    Genre: Art Rock
    Country: Sweden
    Links: Discogs | Spotify

    3 votes
  5. TooFewColours
    Link
    Drake - For All The Dogs Single Genre(s): Pop Rap Country: Canada Spotify RYM

    Drake - For All The Dogs

    Single
    Genre(s): Pop Rap
    Country: Canada

    Spotify
    RYM

    2 votes
  7. smiles134
    Link
    Mansions - Tuff Luff - indie rock (Note: I haven't listened yet) I'm a huge fan of Doom Loop, which was their 2013 album, but they haven't released anything to quite that caliber yet, and their...

    Mansions - Tuff Luff - indie rock

    (Note: I haven't listened yet)

    I'm a huge fan of Doom Loop, which was their 2013 album, but they haven't released anything to quite that caliber yet, and their most recent album was an acoustic album of their back catalog, so I'm looking forward to seeing if this finally lives up to their older work.

    2 votes
  8. [2]
    0x29A
    (edited )
    Link
    NOTE: Today is Bandcamp Friday- 0% commission so all the funds go to the bands. I'd recommend still supporting artists via BC for now- buy what you can today. However with BC's sale to Songtradr,...

    NOTE: Today is Bandcamp Friday- 0% commission so all the funds go to the bands. I'd recommend still supporting artists via BC for now- buy what you can today. However with BC's sale to Songtradr, things are getting messy with them not being upfront about meeting the Bandcamp United union's requirements, so we may need to re-think BC in the future. For now it should be okay- the acquisition is still ongoing.

    Non-metal releases

    Hania Rani - Ghosts
    bc / a.l
    Minimal but layered piano/synth pop - absolutely gorgeous vocals- some tracks vocally give me echoes of Aurora but this is much more laid back and subtle. Very cinematic for as minimal as it is.

    Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture
    bc / a.l
    [Shout out to /u/TooFewColours for this recommendation! Great find. Someone else mentioned to me their last record was great too, gonna have to visit their catalog, it seems] Electro/hyper-pop from the UK. Plenty of effects and layers and a few glitches and hits here and there that definitely give off the typical "hyper" vibe- but it's pretty restrained. The artist does their own photography and the full aesthetic just works well. I almost can't describe what it is- but this was an instant hit for me- even as someone that doesn't always like glossy pop. It's just got some depth and feel to it that really makes it ear candy for me.

    Metal and metal-adjacent releases

    Talk Show - Hyperstition
    bc / a.l
    Some throwback industrial metal here, perfectly executed. Out of all of today's Transylvanian releases this is the one that made the list. A gritty twisted echo of 90s industrial.

    Uranium - Pure Nuclear Death
    bc / a.l
    I'm going to give this an informal 'least accessible of the week' award. This is super dark, haunting, and unsettling industrial noise / power electronics. If you can't understand how this is music- I totally understand your point of view- but for some of us it just clicks and hits a certain way.

    Auriferous Flame - Ardor For Black Mastery
    bc
    Ayloss (of Mystras, Spectral Lore, and plenty of other projects) continues his prolific career with what I would consider his most aggressive sounding release. This one is just straightforward black metal. Laser focused, great songwriting as expected.

    1 vote
    1. 0x29A
      Link Parent
      A late add- a friend tipped me off to this- some 70s electronic music from India has been discovered, curated, and released:...

      A late add- a friend tipped me off to this- some 70s electronic music from India has been discovered, curated, and released: https://state51.bandcamp.com/album/the-nid-tapes-electronic-music-from-india-1969-1972

      The NID Tapes’ presents a collection of early Indian electronic music uncovered at the archives of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. Recorded between 1969-1972 the compilation chronicles electronic works from the previously unknown Indian composers Gita Sarabhai, I.S. Mathur, Atul Desai, S.C. Sharma and Jinraj Joshipura who worked at the nation’s first electronic music studio founded at the NID during the utopian years following India’s independence - a radical period of visionary experimentation and artistic free-thought.

      The studio was founded with support from the New York composer David Tudor who personally set up a Moog modular system and tape machine in the autumn of 1969, and The NID Tapes also includes an excerpt from Tudor’s work discovered amongst the collection of tapes. The release developed from a long-term research project by the British artist and electronic musician Paul Purgas who travelled to Ahmedabad over many years to explore the origins of electronic music in India. This resulted in the discovery of the electronic music archive at the NID and its eventual restoration and digitising, which featured in the acclaimed BBC radio documentary Electronic India.

      1 vote